Thursday, Nov. 12, 2009

Today in the News Media

Today in the News Media is a synopsis of some of the most prominent coverage of OSU people and programs. Inclusion of any item constitutes neither an endorsement nor a critique, but rather is intended only to make the OSU community aware of significant items in the media.

Budget questions answered:

OSU Leadership Answers Questions Concerning Budget Reductions, Alignment, and Long Term University Goals: To develop a better understanding of alignment of colleges into divisions and how reductions in budgets over the next two years will affect the university both now and into the future, the Faculty Senate Executive Committee recently called for anonymous questions or concerns to be submitted via its Web site. The Faculty Senate Executive Committee forwarded that feedback to OSU leadership for response, and has now posted those responses online at http://bit.ly/4xCqvx. You’re encouraged to read this important dialogue, as we all work toward a stronger shared understanding of the university’s current and future challenges and opportunities.

Bones show biggest dinosaurs had hot blood (Wired Science)
Other anatomical studies have led to different conclusions: A survey of dinosaur noses, for example, found that dinos lacked special bones in their nose, called turbinates, that protect against water loss during rapid breathing and are found in 99 percent of warm-blooded animals. Paleontologist John Ruben of Oregon State University, who led the turbinate study, questions much of the recent evidence on dinosaur metabolism, and he rejects the idea that higher energy demands mean dinos couldn’t have been cold-blooded.Remembering OSU’s fallen (Gazette-Times)
In 1920, two Oregon Agricultural College students had an idea. Warren Daigh and Tony Schille, both World War I veterans, wanted to create a center that would serve as a memorial for fallen soldiers associated with the college (now known as Oregon State University).

Google Apps faces uphill battle with Microsoft in the enterprise (Info World)
Oregon State University has a strong relationship with Google, which has donated more than $1 million to OSU’s open-source lab. But OSU also recently upgraded to Exchange 2007 for its e-mail. And it remains firmly on Microsoft Office, said CIO Curt Pederson, because of Microsoft’s deep educational discounts and the preference of OSU faculty members.

Winter wonderland (Bend Bulletin)
In 2006, when flows in the Crooked River surged to more than 3,000 cubic feet per second (cfs), the fishing became poor and the redband population struggled, according to biologists. A joint study by Oregon State University and the ODFW over the last two years explored the issue. One of the theories explaining the decline of the redband was that high flows caused gas-bubble disease (a lethal increase of nitrogen in the fish).Finding Life in Martian Ice (Photonics)
Dr. Michael C. Storrie-Lombardi of Kinohi Institute and Dr. Birgit Sattler at the University of Innsbruck in Austria have devised an imaging technique called LIFE (laser-induced fluorescence emission) to detect bacteria in frozen Antarctic lakes. They are applying some of the lessons learned about LIFE techniques to aid colleagues at Mullard Space Science Laboratory, part of University College London, and at Oregon State University in Corvallis. Together, they hope to enhance current and planned missions to explore Mars’ subsurface.

Today

H1N1 Flu Shot Clinic for OSU Students, Faculty and Staff Only – Today from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the MU Journey Room, while supplies last. Student Health Services has a very limited supply of injectable H1N1 flu vaccine. Shots will be given on a priority basis to the following groups of OSU students, faculty and staff: Pregnant women, people who live with or care for infants younger than 6 months of age, health care and emergency medical personnel, people up to age 24, and those 25 through 64 years of age with certain chronic medical conditions or a weakened immune system. Due to the limited supply of vaccine, you will be turned away if you do not meet the above criteria. Students: $10 (Charged to your OSU student account. Bring your OSU ID card.) Faculty/Staff: $15 (If covered by PEBB Regence Blue Cross Blue Shield of Oregon, the fee will be billed directly to Regence. Otherwise, pay on site by cash or check. Bring your insurance card and OSU ID card.) More information: 541-737-9355.

From appetizers through the main course and dessert, OSU Catering brings flare to meetings and events. Be a guest at this week’s Triad meeting at noon, in the MU, room 109, and learn about food choices and ordering steps from Angela Haney, catering manager. Call Nick Houtman, 541-737-0783 to reserve a seat.

Want to know how one woman turns her fashion dreams into a multi-million dollar international business? Then join the Austin Entrepreneurship Program’s guest speaker, Pati Palmer, who will talk about Dreams on Paper, noon to 1:20 p.m., in LaSells Stewart Center Construction and Engineering Hall. She will discuss creativity, timing, promotion, and partnering in an inspiring and sometimes humorous presentation. For more information contact Mary McKillop at mary.mckillop@bus.oregonstate.edu

Today’s Faculty Senate agenda is available online at http://oregonstate.edu/senate/agen/2009/11.html. The meeting will be in the LaSells Stewart Center Construction and Engineering Hall from 3 to 5 p.m.; guests are welcome to attend. Please note that the agenda contains a Recommendation for a Temporary Pay Reduction. Please review this proposal, talk with your colleagues to gain their perspective on this issue and come prepared to vote. Other agenda items include: 2009 Candidate Slate, and a dialogue and response to issues in the context of the 2009-11 biennium budget and strategic plan by President Ray, Provost Randhawa and other OSU leadership.

The Linn Benton Employers Partnership for Diversity invites you to its next workshop, “Welcoming our Returning Veterans” at the Greater Albany Public Schools district office from 3 to 5 p.m. Approximately 1200 Oregon National Guard soldiers are scheduled to return from Iraq in the summer of 2010. Come and hear from the reintegration team on how best to support these veterans as they transition back into employment and school, their families and the community. OSU employees may attend the workshops free of charge. To register or request accommodation: Salvador.Miramontes@co.benton.or.us Information: diane.davis@oregonstate.edu

Former Governor John Kitzhaber will give a free public lecture at Oregon State from 4 to 5 p.m. in Gilfillan Auditorium. The topic is Health Care Reform for the 21st Century. His lecture is part of a seminar course on health care policy and is not an endorsement of his candidacy for governor.

Max Rameau, a Haitian-born Pan-African theorist and organizer will give a talk at 7 p.m. in 305 Pharmacy. He founded Take Back the Land in 2006 and in October of that year, the organization seized control of a vacant lot in the Liberty City section of Miami. They built Umoja Village, a full urban shantytown to house part of the massive homeless population in Miami. For more information contact Lani Roberts at lroberts@oregonstate.edu.

Upcoming events

Don’t forget tomorrow is College Colors Friday so wear your orange!

NEW! The Austin Entrepreneurship Program is hosting its monthly Experiences in Entrepreneurship OSU Faculty Luncheon Series Nov. 17 from noon to 1:30 p.m., in the Trysting Tree Conference Room D107, Weatherford. This month’s presentation is From OSU to Precision Plant Systems – Is There Life After Licensing? Larry Plotkin, CEO and president of Precision Plant Systems, will talk about the process of ‘opportunity discovery’ by an entrepreneur looking for commercializable university technologies and the process of going from what you started out thinking you’d market, to what you actually sell. This is a brown bag lunch. Beverages are provided. Please RSVP to RSVPAEP@bus.oregonstate.edu

NEW! ‘Fallen Among Reformers?’: Feminism, Activism, and Miles Franklin’s Unpublished Writing During the Chicago Years, 1906-1915, a lecture by Janet Lee, Center Research Fellow, Women Studies Program, takes place Nov. 16, 4 p.m in the Autzen House

NEW! A Rural Studies seminar on “Rural People and Places: Familiar Subject, New View,” takes place from 3 to 5 p.m. Nov. 16. Emery Castle, OSU professor emeritus, dept. of agricultural and resource economics, and founding director of the Rural Studies program, will speak on the topic with Ethan Seltzer, Director, School of Urban Studies & Planning, Portland State University.

NEW! On Nov. 18, OPAA will be hosting a Retirement Party for Donna and Coral in the Business Affairs Conference Room (B100) from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. Donna Stoneberg has worked for OUS and OSU for 36 years. Coral Zoeller has given OSU 31 years of service.

NEW! The Department of Crop and Soil Science is having a “Thank You Reception” for three of our staff who are leaving OSU – Elaine Holmes — Grants and Contracts Technician; Peggy Mullett — Academic Advising Secretary; and Joan Sandeno — Instructor/Senior Faculty Research Assistant. It will be held on Nov. 23 from 2:30 to 4 p.m. in Room 138 of the Crop Science Building.

This Friday the AFROTC is hosting a ceremony in honor of our veterans. The ceremony will begin at 11 a.m., in the Memorial Union Quad. It will showcase a 21-gun salute, a 4 ship (4 aircraft) F-15 Flyover courtesy of the 123 Fighter Squadron from the Oregon Air National Guard, and an adress by WWII Veteran former Technical Sgt. Don Malarkey of the 101st Airborne’s “Easy” Company made famous by the novel by Stephen Ambrose and TV miniseries “Band of Brothers.” The ceremony will last approximately one hour, and is open to the public. The flyover will be very loud, and will take place at 11:07 a.m., over the MU Quad, directly following the performance of the National Anthem by OSU’s own Women’s a capella choir, “Devine.” Additionally, the OSU Memorial Union and the ASOSU Veteran Affairs Office is holding a rededication of the Memorial Union’s war memorial in honor of the students, faculty and staff who have served their country. The dedication ceremony takes place at 4 p.m. Friday, Nov. 13, 4 p.m. in the MU Concourse.

The Personal Defense Class that was going to be held on Nov. 10 has been moved to Nov. 17. The time and venue remain the same, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Strand Ag Hall (StAg) room 107. The event is free. This event is presented by OSU Women’s Network (OWN)

The OSU Socratic Club will sponsor a debate on the topic, “Euthanasia: A Good Death?” on Nov. 16, at 7 p.m. in Gilfillan Auditorium. The speakers are Jerome Wernow and Lani Roberts. Wernow will present a Christian narrative approach and Roberts a philosophical perspective.

The Oregon State University Seed Laboratory will celebrate 100 years of continuous service to Oregon agriculture with an open house Nov.18, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. A short centennial recognition ceremony will be held at noon. The seed laboratory is located on Campus Way, across from the motor pool between 30th and 35th streets. For more information go to http://seedlab.oregonstate.edu

News for Employees

NEW! Homestay Hosts Wanted! University Housing & Dining Services (UHDS) is recruiting interested faculty, staff, and community members to host international students through the OSU Homestay Program. Hosts are compensated at a rate of $20 per day with homestays ranging from four weeks to fifty-two. If you’re interested in this great opportunity please send an email to homestay@oregonstate.edu or call UHDS at 541-737-4771. For more information about the program checkout the Homestay webpage at: http://oregonstate.edu/uhds/homestay

Power Up! Improve your health and wellness. Set your own goals. Track healthy behaviors. Discover your power to pursue your goal! Want to be a Power Up team member and lead the way toward a healthier future? We’re looking for students, staff and faculty to join this health challenge. Learn more and apply to be featured at http://blogs.oregonstate.edu/powerup/ Deadline is Nov. 25.

The School of Electrical Engineering is sponsoring a mural contest in celebration of the new degrees tracks in Sustainability and Renewable Energy for Engineering and Software Systems. Anyone can enter the contest, and the final piece will be displayed in the Kelley Engineering Center. The winner will receive materials to make the mural, and $1000. (Entries must be received by Dec. 31.) More information about the contest can be found at http://eecs.oregonstate.edu/mural/

The 2009 Oregon Charitable Fund Drive has begun, and OSU employees should have received the blue envelope with packet explaining how they can help support more than 850 individual charities. The campaign allows every state employee to be a philanthropist by deciding how much to give and where your money goes. State of Oregon public employee goal is to raise $1.2 million. With over 4,500 employees at OSU, if each one of us donated just $5 per month, we could more than double the amount of contributions made last year from $118,000 to $270,000. Although the CFD has moved to a web-based process, employees also have the option of using the enclosed form in the packet to participate in giving. Online giving site – www.givingnexus.org/_cfduniversities OSU information online at – http://oregonstate.edu/charitablefunddrive/ If you have not received the information in the packet, or need additional information, please contact Courtney Pedersen, 2009 CFD-OSU Assistant, OSU Conference Services (Email: conference.assistants@oregonstate.edu or by phone at 541-737-6441

From now until Nov. 21, UO and OSU fans, friends, students, parents and alumni will roll up their sleeves at blood drives around the state to give for a good cause. The top team will be announced at the Civil War football game and the winning alumni association will receive the coveted civil war trophy. The OSU campus drive is taking place November 9-12 at the Memorial Union Ballroom from 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. daily. Appointments can be made online at www.givelife.org sponsor code OSU or by calling 1-800-Give-Lif

Are you ready to explore leadership and the leader that is within you? The Journey Into Leadership Program is seeking participants from all positional levels of OSU as well as a mix from both main and off-campus sites for a balanced group that represents the diverse facets of the OSU community. This program promotes the belief that you can effectively lead from whatever position you hold within the institution. To learn more about this series, visit the website at http://oregonstate.edu/admin/hr/leadership Those interested in participating must submit an online application (available on the website) no later than Nov. 13.

The Research Office is now accepting applications for the Faculty Release Time (FRT) program for release for Spring term 2010. Applications are due in the Research Office by Nov. 16. The complete program description, application materials and proposal criteria can be accessed at the Research Office website: http://oregonstate.edu/research/incentive/frt.htm If you have any questions, please contact Debbie Delmore at 541-737-8390 or debbie.delmore@oregonstate.edu

Jobs

The Office of Human Resources is recruiting for a Business Center Human Resources Manager. Full-time, 12-month, fixed-term position. See full announcement for minimum qualifications and application requirements at http://oregonstate.edu/jobs. Posting #0004946. Closing Date: Nov. 24.

Administrative Program Specialist, OSU Extended Campus is seeking applicants for the position of Summer Session Specialist. This is a full-time, 12-month position. Recruitment is open to current OSU employees only. Position details and qualifications can be found at http://jobs.oregonstate.edu/applicants/Central?quickFind=55797. Position closes Nov. 20.

The College of Engineering Undergraduate Programs Office is seeking a LSAMP/Undergrad Programs Coordinator. This is a full-time, 12-month, fixed-term Professional Faculty position. See posting details: https://jobs.oregonstate.edu Posting #0004932. Recruitment is open to current OSU employees only. Closing date is Nov. 22.

The Washington County Extension Office of OSU invites applications for an Office Manager position. This is a full-time (1.0 FTE), 12-month, fixed-term Professional Faculty position. See posting details: https://jobs.oregonstate.edu Posting #0004849. Closing date is Nov. 13.

Weather

Keats was a fan of autumn, but knew it wasn’t all mists and mellow fruitfulness. It is a season where “keen, fitful gusts are whisp’ring here and there, among the bushes half leafless, and dry.” Today the cool, bleak air will also be fitful with rain, but should clear up by afternoon. Today’s high will only reach 49, and tonight’s rainy low will be 38. The weekend looks a bit less damp but just as chilly.